Now that we have covered Steven Universe and Gravity Falls, what is the next animation giant we should tackle? Let's go for the story of the girl from the other dimension - Star vs The Forces of Evil.
The Premise
Star Butterfly is a magical princess from the alternate dimension of Mewni. She receives a magical wand powered by ponies and magic and a scissors that can slice through dimensions. Upon arriving on Earth, she meets Marco Diaz and is adopted into his family. Wow, at first glance, this looks like the most my-little-pony-esque thing, sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Until you realise, there is more than meets the eye.
The Plot
This series is rather episodic in nature but towards the end a bit of linear plot elements arrive. I would compare this series' plot structure to Steven Universe in a sense. Audiences are allowed to immerse themselves in the antics of the characters on screen, especially how Star is one of the biggest fishes out of the water. The more you learn about the world, the different cultures between the dimensions and the characters, the more you are invested in seeing them survive. At points, you may not want them to win but to see them live through their trials and learn something new is nice (irregardless of their alignment).
One episode I would like to single out, (skip this paragraph for potential spoilers), "The Other Exchange Student" . It follows the arrival of another foreign exchange student and Star feels jealous. She decides to let her emotions get the best of her and she attempts to find out what is off with the new foreign exchange student and catch him in the act (of cannibalism?).
The Characters
Star Butterfly is the fish out of water in this story. She is essentially Mabel Pines. Never really grown up but given extraordinary powers. The eternal optimist, the funlover, the hardcore partier. I like her. She's cool. Weird, but cool.
Marco Diaz is the guy who wants to be a hero and now he is given the chance. He is quite an uninteresting character in my opinion (Mainly because he is human) but I will just have to wait and see how the second season fleshes out his character.
The villain, Ludo, is one of the most entertaining villains in animated history. He is just so funny. He reminds me of the main villain of Lilo and Stitch, high-strung, over the top but, to his core, rather useless. There is another villain in the show but I don't want to talk about him. If you haven't watched the show, you will have to now because I won't tell you about one of the better villains~
The Relationship
What I find interesting is the relationship between the two protagonists. As of now, it isn't really romantic but I would say that their bonds are very, very tight. It is clever of the writers to not make it completely romantic because it is important to have healthy platonic relationships on cartoons. Why? Because every kid should not grow up with the perception that the person they hang out with and have the most fun with will eventually become their lover.
The Opening Theme
Since the soundtrack for this series doesn't really stand out to me, I will have to talk about the opening theme song. I will have to admit, initially I didn't like the style as it didn't really match up instrumentally to my preferences. However, as I watched the show, it grew onto me as I realised that it was actually pretty catchy. I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it but I don't mind singing along whenever it comes on.
TL;DR
I like this show. It is a good show. It takes awhile to get interesting and you have to get used to the weirdness of the show. However, if you enjoy Steven Universe, Gravity Falls or Adventure Time, I would definitely recommend this series for you. It is the perfect balance between cutesy and badass. 8/10
Sharing is Caring,
Sean Wang
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